Living with nautical maritime antiques, original marine art and quality nautical decor, ship salvage and other authentic nautical cargo, re-purposed nautical table lamps and lighting, furniture and decor designed for your traditional coastal home and featuring the finest of nautical and coastal living.

Skipjack Nautical Wares Banner

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

An international research team discovered a human
skeleton during its ongoing excavation of the famous Antikythera Shipwreck
(circa 65 B.C.). The shipwreck, which holds the remains of a Greek trading or
cargo ship, is located off the Greek island of Antikythera in the Aegean Sea.
The first skeleton recovered from the wreck site during the era of DNA
analysis, this find could provide insight into the lives of people who lived
2100 years ago.

Led by archaeologists and technical experts from the
Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution (WHOI), the team excavated and recovered a human skull including a
jaw and teeth, long bones of the arms and legs, ribs, and other remains. Other
portions of the skeleton are still embedded in the seafloor, awaiting
excavation during the next phase of operations.

"Archaeologists study the human past through the
objects our ancestors created," said Brendan Foley, a marine archaeologist
with WHOI. "With the Antikythera Shipwreck, we can now connect directly with
this person who sailed and died aboard the Antikythera ship."

The Antikythera Shipwreck is the largest ancient
shipwreck ever discovered, possibly a massive grain carrier. It was discovered
and salvaged in 1900 by Greek sponge divers. In addition to dozens of marble
statues and thousands of antiquities, their efforts produced the Antikythera
Mechanism -- an astounding artifact known as the world's first computer. In
1976, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the CALYPSO crew returned to the wreck and
recovered nearly 300 more objects, including skeletal remains of the passengers
and crew.

The skeleton discovered on August 31, 2016, is the
first to be recovered from an ancient shipwreck since the advent of DNA
studies. Ancient DNA expert Dr. Hannes Schroeder of the Natural History Museum
of Denmark in Copenhagen, hastened to Antikythera to view the remains. Once
permission is obtained from the Greek authorities, samples will be sent to his
laboratory for a full suite of analyses. If enough viable DNA is preserved in
the bones, it may be possible to identify the ethnicity and geographic origin
of the shipwreck victim.

"Against all odds, the bones survived over 2,000
years at the bottom of the sea and they appear to be in fairly good condition,
which is incredible," said Schroeder.

The Antikythera research team generates precise
three-dimensional digital models of every artifact, allowing discoveries to be
shared instantly and widely even if the objects remain on the sea floor.
Several 3D models of the skeletal remains are available for researchers and the
public to view on the Antikythera Projectwebpage.

Jonathan Knowles, Autodesk Explorer In Residence,
said, "Our reality capture technology is not only helping share the
amazing story of the Antikythera wreck with the world using digital models and
3D printed artifacts, it is enabling important preservation and furthering
meaningful research."

The project is supported by corporate partners Hublot,
Autodesk, Cosmote, Costa Navarino Resort and private sponsors Swordspoint
Foundation, Jane and James Orr, Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, the Domestic
Property Committee of Kythera and Antikythera, the Municipality of Kythera, and
private sponsors of WHOI.

The research team consists of archaeologists Dr.
Theotokis Theodoulou and Dr. Dimitris Kourkoumelis (Hellenic Ministry of
Culture and Sports); Research Specialist Dr. Brendan Foley (WHOI); archaeologist
Alexander Tourtas; professional technical divers Edward O'Brien (WHOI), Philip
Short, Alexandros Sotiriou, Nikolas Giannoulakis, and Gemma Smith; videographer
Evan Kovacs; documentary director Michalis Tsimperopoulos; supported by
Michalis Kelaidis, Dimitris Romio, and Dimitris Manoliades. The robotic mapping
survey was conducted by Prof. Stefan Williams, Dr. Oscar Pizarro, and Christian
Lees from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney. U.S.
National Parks Service underwater photographer Brett Seymour and archaeologist
Dr. David Conlin volunteer their time and expertise.

The Return to Antikythera project is supervised by the
Director of the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities Dr. Aggeliki Simosi and is
under the aegis of the President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopios
Pavlopoulos.

Date:

September 19, 2016

Source:

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Summary:

An international research team discovered a human skeleton during its ongoing excavation of the famous Antikythera Shipwreck (circa 65 B.C.). The shipwreck, which holds the remains of a Greek trading or cargo ship, is located off the Greek island of Antikythera in the Aegean Sea. The first skeleton recovered from the wreck site during the era of DNA analysis, this find could provide insight into the lives of people who lived 2100 years ago.

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.

NEW! JUST IN! OUR LATEST ARRIVALS AT SKIPJACK!

The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Nautical Collection

Raising funds for the Jamestown Settlement sailing program.

Skipjack's Marine Art Gallery

Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Art Gallery was recently selected as one of the 10 Best Art Galleries in Virginia by "Best Things Virginia" website in May 2017. Click here to read the full article. Skipjack was also selected as one of the "10 Best Virginia Art Galleries" by TripAdvisor! Click here to go to TripAdvisor's "Art Galleries in Virginia." Original nautical and marine paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolor, bronze and wood sculpture, folk/sailor art, whale & mermaid carvings, prints, tall ships, tugboats, Chesapeake Bay, models, work boats, classic yachts and more!

Nautical Navigational Instruments

Sextants, octants, quadrants, binnacles and compasses- antique, vintage and collectible marine navigational tools and maritime instruments that will help you plot a course and find your way! Perfect for nautical decor for your coastal home too!

NAUTICAL TABLE LAMPS & LIGHTING

Custom nautical table lamps made from vintage and antique nautical lamps and other lighting.

Skipjack's Mariner Hand-tied Nautical Rope Bracelet

The Mariner bracelet is perfect for boaters, surfers, beach goers or anyone that enjoys being in or around the water- quick drying nylon and stainless steel shackle won't rust!

Maritime & Antique Furniture

Since the beginning, Skipjack has become known for producing exceptional nautical furniture using re-purposed ship salvage such as teak grates, hatch covers, ship windows and doors and other old seafaring items into custom home furniture. We stock and produce, coffee tables, end tables, sofa tables, desks, dining and occasional tables, sea chests and chest of drawers, sideboards, huntboards, bars and mirrors.

Marine Clocks & Chronometers

Quality, vintage and antique marine clocks and chronometers made by Chelsea, Seth Thomas, Waltham, Hamilton and other fine makers of clocks and chronometers.

Sailor's Knives & Tools

Our sailor's boating tools category includes everything from antique tools to custom scrimshaw bone handled knives. We offer some of the best with tools, marlinspikes and knives from Myerchin, ACME boatswain pipes and chain lanyards, custom maritime designed scrimshaw knives by Tony Perry and other marine artists and unique sailor's tools for the maritime collector!

Skipjack Nautical Wares For the Home

Skipjack's accessories and decor are designed specifically for decorating your nautical inspired coastal home. Many of our products are custom-made and re-purposed from authentic maritime salvage and of course are limited in production. We also offer great products for entertaining too!

Search This Blog

Blogs of Note

Pages

"Sails & Rigging"

Running free; a square rigger shows her colors in the Parade of Sail at Norfolk's Harborfest. An original Painting by Michael goodwin

The Nautical Sextant

A must-have work for enthusiasts on sextant construction, restoration, repair and adjustment

Ship's Binnacles

We currently have over 15 antique and vintage ships binnacles in stock for you to choose from. Give us a call at (757) 399-5012 or Email @ askus@skipjacknauticalwares.com.

Ocean Marine Yacht Center

Ocean Marine Yacht Center is located just 1/2-mile south of mile marker zero on the Intracoastal Waterway on a 19 1/2 acre site in Portsmouth, Virginia, just 15 minutes from the Norfolk/Virginia Beach International Airport. The new complex features a modern Marina with all of the amenities, an indoor dry storage building, a complete parts department, and for boats of all sizes, a service and repair facility second to none.